U.S. private employers added an average of 8,000 jobs per week in the four weeks ending December 27, 2025, according to the latest ADP NER Pulse, a high-frequency weekly update of the monthly National Employment Report. While hiring remains positive, the numbers suggest a modest slowdown in year-end employment growth.
The NER Pulse provides real-time estimates of week-over-week employment changes using a four-week moving average. Data are seasonally adjusted and incorporate a two-week lag to improve accuracy. ADP emphasizes that these figures are preliminary and could shift as additional data is incorporated.
“The last week of 2025 showed hiring softening slightly, but overall private sector growth remains positive,” ADP noted.
How NER Pulse Works
Developed by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, the NER Pulse leverages ADP’s high-frequency payroll data to produce early insights on U.S. employment trends. The report includes 12 weeks of historical data and is published every Tuesday at 8:15 a.m. ET, except during weeks when the monthly ADP National Employment Report is released.
The next NER Pulse update is scheduled for January 27, 2026. Full press releases and historical data are available via the ADP Media Center and Main Street Macro.
Why It Matters
After years of strong labor market growth, the late-2025 slowdown may signal the market is stabilizing at a more moderate pace. Businesses and HR leaders can use these insights to adjust hiring strategies, plan workforce allocations, and anticipate trends in talent availability as 2026 begins.
While the private sector continues to create jobs, the report reinforces the value of high-frequency labor market intelligence for tracking real-time shifts in employment, complementing traditional monthly reports.
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